Cruzer's Re-Build for the Rubicon

I drove "straight" home

 

Lmfao

 

how am I going to explain the mess in my shorts to the wife???

 

So far so good. GF came home, she walked by the truck and didn't even notice.

 

C'mon man......just one question and everyone wants to know the answer.
How's the rub?

 

No rub at all in full lock
Going to Hollister tomorrow morning to see how they are when flexed. From the looks of it they should tuck in just fine

 

Wow, that's great.

 

The one thing that does concern me is that I feel it is a lot harder to slow down. I was browsing through brake kits earlier.

 

Let me know about full lock in reverse. This is my litmus test for when Hulk needs an alignment. +++++ caster

 

What brakes do you have on it now? OEM?

 

That makes a lot of sense, I hadn't thought about it but I had that issue moving to 37s. I now run EBC yellow pads. They're dirty AF but they made a HUGE improvement on braking performance, like better than a completely stock truck. They're also expensive and don't last like ceramic does. For me the the performance is worth the other stuff.

 

I hear a lot of good on EBC Yellow. Haven’t tried them myself though. I did try Green, wasn’t a fan.

I’ve had really good experience with StopTech myself.

 

Ahh, I think I have their rotors in the front thanks to your recommendation......You know, back in the day...... When you
drove a Taco.

 

OEM.

Gonna check out EBC orange.

 

Reverse full lock no rub Did it slow and again faster to make sure.

 

Drilled, slotted, cryo rotors and EBC orange stuff are an insane stopping combo.

Best I’ve seen on OEM calipers.

 

Also my caster is not aggressive. Don’t know exactly what it is but I know the front and rear LCA cams are positioned the same.

 

Good to hear, I've got some orange pads ready to go on the rear. I haven't heard of anyone using 'em yet though.

 

All Ive used since I first used them.
Also Ran ebc when racing bikes.

Right now Im using a set of another brand sent to me for testing.
It’s the same pad that some Baja teams use.
While it’s a really good pad it still doesn’t stop as aggressively as the EBC orange.

 

Do you have a link?

 

I too run EBC on my bikes. Great pads!

I’d opt for Cryo Slotted rotors over anything drilled. The drilled holes create a fracture point and an area to capture small rocks. The slots provide an advantage for gas evacuation to better the initial brake bite, which is a nice plus.

Ive ran EBC Heavy Duty Orange on my ladies Tacoma, they had a softer pedal feel - kind of like stock. Stopped really well though and resisted heat fade.

 

https://www.buybrakes.com/brake-pads/ebc-orangestuff-pads-truck-suv-jeep-brake-pads

https://www.buybrakes.com/brake-rotors/stoptech-cryo-treated-rotors-slotted-brake-rotor-high-carbon-126

It’s best to call these guys.
They’ll work you a good deal and make sure you get the correct rotors.
The rotors aren’t always listed on site.

 

Yeah, I think they’ve actually stopped making the drilled ones because of that.
My mistake.
I do have about 50k miles on my drilled ones.
They’ve held up well.

 

That’s good to hear!
It’s really uncommon to have an issue with drilled rotors, just more prone to them.

The cryo rotors are a nice upgrade for longevity.

 

Yes!
And to prevent run out.

Cryo is the only I haven’t “warped”

FYI: I drive my Tundra like it’s a Porsche 911.

 

Facts!

Hahaha. I drive like that off road, but on road I’m a grandpa

 

Took the truck out for a test ride at Hollister Hills this morning. Here's what I learned:

1. Truck can't take corners like it did with 37s on pavement.
2. KM3s are pretty quiet on the highway. So much so that I can now hear my rear 5.29 gears whining, which I thought they didn't.
3. KM3s are not that great on the dirt. I'm missing my Yokohama X-MTs right about now.
4. Found a little dirt mound and tested the flex. Rear tires tuck in nicely BUT it rubbed pretty hard on my rear bumper. The caveat though is that my rear bumper is wide where it meets the tire - so if you have a plate or tube bumper that stays on the outer perimeter of the body then you're good. However, you would still need to do some fender trimming of the rear section.








5. Can I fit 40s? I believe I could but then I would be relegated to hanging out at the mall. I love my rear bumper, the 39s do rub on it pretty hard, so I'm thinking of having it shaved a bit.
6. What about the front? I didn't get a chance to test that out as I started goofing around. Did the usual tree log obstacle. Tried going over some of the cement pipes - nope, got turtled. Then I went for the large tire pile.








Was climbing over the top.



Then I got sort of hung up with rear wheels having minimal traction along with the front driver. But the passenger front tire was wedged in pretty good, so with the help of the HP Tuner 4Lo delete, I gave it some ooomph.





After the oomph I heard a loud pop. I believe the passenger side CV axle broke. With lockers engaged the driver side tire spins and I don't hear any gears grinding but got nada from the passenger side.
After being winched forward a little, I was able to go straight down but aided by my friend - he had his winch on my bumper in case I tipped over.


It must be fate though because I ordered my RCV axle last night

But all in all the whole time I was mobile I never felt the front end rub at all.

 

Some cut off wheels, a grinder and a welder with fix that bumper quick. Even better if you have access to a plasma cutter.

Looks great.

 

@dcsleeper408, Mark is close to you and I'm sure he can do a little pruning and welding to clear your bumper.

 

That's what I'm thinking.